Wednesday, 11 December 2013

“Journeys”

The Emerson String Quartet reigns supreme among string
quartets but it has recently undergone some major changes. The original cellist,
David Finckel, was recently replaced, and after years with Deutsche Grammophon
the group has switched to Sony. This new CD is the Emerson’s first recording
for the new label and one of its last recordings with Finckel still in the
cello chair. The recordings were made in 2012.

I
don’t recall these two works being coupled on a CD but the pairing makes
perfect sense. They are both written for the same combination of six string
players and they are both romantic masterpieces. The Tchaikovsky first saw the
light of day in 1892 and the Schönberg ten years later. Violinist Eugene
Druckner has aptly remarked that they represent “two extremely different
definitions of romanticism.”

The
performances are simply wonderful. I have always loved the Tchaikovsky,
but I have never heard it played with such an ideal combination of exuberance,
virtuosity and beauty. To my ears Tchaikovsky never wrote anything more
beautiful than the opening of the slow movement, and Philip Setzer plays the
violin solos with love and poetry.

The
expressive intensity of Verklärte Nacht is also perfectly realized with playing
of uncommon involvement and unanimity.

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La Scena Musicale is a monthly Canadian classical, opera, jazz and world music magazine published in English and French by La Scène musicale/The Music Scene, a non-profit charity dedicated to the promotion of music and the arts. La Scena Musicale's award-winning website SCENA.org has been a world leader of classical music and arts news since 1996. The LSM Blog is the place for commentary and news on music and the arts in Canada and around the world. Publisher: Wah Keung Chan; ISSN 1925-9700